Had lunch at Petra's last Wednesday. A very enjoyable meal. Had lamb and beef Shish Kabob plate. The lamb was a bit chewy, but very flavorful and juicy. The beef was the better of the two.l It was extremely tender and had a rich beef flavor. It came over like chunks of deliciously marinated beef tenderloin. The sides, hummus, salad and rice were all delicious. My wife had a chicken and pesto sandwich which she praised. I would definitely stop there again.

Had lunch at Big Stuff last Friday. Wife had pulled pork and I had the beef. Both were tasty, covered with a mild sauce. The sides were nicely done, potato salad, cole slaw which reminded me of the Black Bear Diner's version which I like, macaroni salad and beans. I'd go again.

As for the Famous Feedbag, don't bother. It's not worth leaving I-5. Stopped in Red Bluff the evening of the day I had lunch at Big Stuff. I didn't want a full dinner and ordered chilli and a side salad. The salad consisted on iceburg lettuce, a few strands of carrot and cabbage and a cherry tomato, bottled dressing. The chilli was terrible. It was served cold. I sent it back for microwaving. It was returned luke warm, barely edible. The sauce component was the consistency and texture of library paste.

Second these recommendations. Ate there on Saturday afternoon and liked the food very much. My wife usually orders Moo Shu Pork when we eat Chinese, and she said the Tacoma Szechuan's version was the best she has ever eaten.

Apple is ok, I prefer hickory. Or you can mix two or more woods. Remove the silver skin from the back of the slab of ribs. Smear a dry rub of your choice all over the ribs and let them sit overnight in the frig wrapped in saran wrap. Bring up to room temp and then smoke at 225 degrees until the meat has pulled back from the bones at the top of the slab by about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch. This will take several hours. You don't need to have the sawdust typically used in your smoker going the whole time. Maybe for just the first half hour to hour. It is very easy to overdue the smoking and you end up with a bitter product. If you want to finish the ribs on the grill as I often do, get the temperature up to about a steady 350-400 degrees and place the ribs on the grill. If you can, put the ribs in the center of the grill with coals or burners lit on both ends. In other words, avoid placing the ribs directly over the fire if you can. I do not turn the ribs while on the grill. Coat the exposed side of the ribs with a BBQ sauce you like to glaze them. Depending on how much meat you're cooking and its temperature when you start, it will take anywhere from a half an hour to an hour on the grill. As you can see, everyone has a different method and you will probably end up doing something slightly different from what you will read on this thread. Experiment until you get a product that suits you taste. Good luck.

Thanks CJ for your post. I've been thinking about asking the board about these two places. There is one other I have never tried, a little place just east of College St on Pacific in Lacey, Tea Leaf 2 (no idea what happened to #1). Has anyone eaten there who can give a report?

IMHO it is not very good bbq. An article in today's Olympia about the pit boss revealed that she relies on fruit woods for smoking and pictured her spraying apple juice on ribs that were being prepared in one of those round grills. It may be that I don't care for her choice of woods and "mops". And, ribs are better prepared in a smoker at about 225 degrees, not on a grill. The beans were quite tasty. But the q was not good enough to merit a return trip.

There is a hole in the wall hot dog stand north of Boeing Field on the west side of the street that parallels the runway. It serves the full deal Chicago dog. I would imagine you could get a polish dressed the same way. The place is very small and you will probably have to eat outside or in your car. IMHO the best sausages in town are made by Bavarian Meats in the Pike Place market. Don't know if they will dress their products Chicago style, but their meat products are hard to beat.

I'll second that. Had lunch there yesterday. Service was prompt and friendly. This was only my third Indian restaurant meal, so I'm no expert on what the food should be like, but it sure tasted good. I had Chix Tikka Massala (Sp?) and my wife had Chix Curry, both $6.95 specials. In addition to the meat, there were two veg. sides, rice, naan bread, and an Indian rice pudding which my wife judged excellent. I don't care for rice pudding, so I won't comment on it. A very pleasant meal. The restaurant also has a couple of shelves with foods from India, including Brooke Bond Red Label Tea which I understand is an excellent drink.

Sorry I don't have the name, but the Italian restaurant in the A&P strip mall between Washington and Hampton NJ puts out a very good pizza. Living in WA state, I don't get back in "home" territory very often, but the last time I was there I had one of their pies and the crust and flavor of the pie took me back more than 50 years to the time I was a teenager and getting pies across the highway at the Pantuso's kitchen in the old Blue Roof tavern. Give it a try if you are ever out in the wilds of NW NJ.

Many thanks Steve. I'll check it out next week. For Christmas 2005 I received a TG gift certificate from a relative that knew I liked the place. Waited too long to use it - stopped by first week in Feb and found it closed. Hope the new restaurant will honor it. Thanks again, John

Before the mall underwent remodeling last year, there was a restaurant opposite the movie theater. It was named Thai Garden. It closed in Feb or Mar 06. The sign on the door when it closed suggested the owner might relocate. I am looking for the new location, if there is one, or a way to contact the owner of the defunct restaurant.

A properly prepared and baked fruit pie is the crowning glory of American desserts. Unfortunately, they seem never to be available for purchase. I have never had a restaurant fruit pie that was worth much of anything. My wife makes the best, but does not sell them. So, a search for a place to buy one is fruitless, so to speak.